[Genshin Impact] Kaeya & Reader

7: Temple of Lion

Mondstadt has always been full of happy people living in peace. Sometimes, so much at ease they are that they've forgotten how the Knights of Favonius are dealing about their safety. And amongst the crowd simultaneously telling stories of how their previous days went, they failed to notice Jean and the best outrider, Amber, having troubles with something.

The pyro user placed her right hand's thumb and pointer finger under her chin as if thinking. Jean did the same soon enough, worry was evidently drawn across their faces. "This is really concerning...," muttered Amber.

Acting Grand Master Jean agreed by nodding. "They are being active recently, and we're starting to get outnumbered as we're deploying people over the areas they've shown up on only to find out that more of them are in a different area."

"Eventually, they would be able to push us to the edge, and capture Mondstadt...," the thought alone made Amber shiver in fear. "I don't want that to happen!"

"We will try our very best to not let that happen, Amber. We need to devise a plan."

And when it comes to plans, someone else is better taking of that over.

"Yoho~" hand raised in a greeting manner, usual smile across his lips, that one cavalry captain entered their conversation, making the two women turn to his direction as he had spoken. "What's with the faces?"

With just a quick look at their eyes, he knew something was up.

"Bandits. Amber reported that they were spotted entering the Temple of Lion. There was a group of them as well; more than ten or fifteen."

"They've also taken important items from a business woman's cart when she was on her way here."

"Oh? Hmm, I see. Well, let me take care of it on my own. I have a plan."

Being Jean's most trusted companion, she nodded as immediately, something Amber didn't even try countering. "I trust you, Kaeya."

The outrider wanted to lend a hand but she didn't like getting into her superiors' plans thus had she decided to stay with Jean and let Kaeya be.

This is alarming...

The captain allowed himself to be drowned in his thoughts whilst not letting his focus be placed elsewhere. As he made his way to the temple, he also cleared his pathway full of hilichurls effortlessly. Hitting two birds with one stone, he told himself.

Blue-lilac eyes, though one was covered with an eyepatch, dropped to what seemed like a peaceful area. At least, from the outside. Kaeya retained his attention onto it until finally opening the door and being locked inside. He gave this a look but didn't hesitate to proceed.

On the first floor, the trap the bandits left didn't give Kaeya a drop of sweat. To him, dealing with them, including with the hilichurl camps nearby, are an everyday thing. Easy, if he needed to address it properly.

Kaeya went onward. It didn't even take him too long to notice that someone was trailing him. "How long do you plan to follow me? Come on, it's not like I don't know that you've been there," cocky, he was.

"Oh, don't get me wrong. I wasn't planning to hide forever. I was just wondering how long it would take you to tell me to reveal myself," you showed yourself. However, it didn't make much sense for your face was covered with a mask.

Kaeya smirked. "Don't bore me," without further ado, to wipe your existence, he did by throwing sharp and deadly icicles your way. You managed to use your Vision and cast a Hydro barrier just in time to defend yourself but, as expected, it didn't hold for long.

Kaeya was too strong for you.

Delusion?

Seeing that you were having a hard time defending and attacking at the same moment had a smile of satisfaction across his lips. He likes seeing people suffer more so when he sees fear in their eyes. But the determination he saw in you entertained him further.

A few more attacks of his cryo Vision came onto you which you either dodged on time or foresaw thereafter defended yourself. Despite having no need to move in his place, you seemed to be having it difficult finding an opening.

With a chain-shaped ice, he threw it right at your neck, locking you against a nearby wall. All this time, he was making you dodge intentionally to have yourself near a wall and be pinned. Brains of the knights, he was.

"So...," he walked closer, stared at you for a second or two before lifting his hand, and removing your mask. "What..."

With a grin, you began. "Happy birthday!"

A second passed whilst Kaeya tried to understand what was going on. For the first time, he couldn't comprehend something. And there he was, certain that he's dealing with a real bandit, and was ready to slit your throat if necessary.

Unconsciously, Kaeya had you released from being pinned by his icicle chain. "All this way for a birthday greeting...?"

Everything was starting to make sense. Your voice, a feature he had seen dressless before, and then your Vision. No wonder a tint in him told himself that you were familiar. The only reason he chose to go on was because Jean herself uttered you're a bandit.

You pointed behind him, revealing Amber, Jean and almost the rest of the knights. Some waving, some just standing and looking at him in awe. In unison, all of them greeted. "Happy birthday, Captain Kaeya!"

And then, he turned to you and to the boxes you have. These items that the 'bandits' stole were actually gifts from the knights for the captain. It also included yours in it.

You smiled. "Happy birthday, Kaeya."

Touched he was, you could tell. But, of course, the captain hadn't forgotten to make a joke out of it. "I wasn't expecting this kind of surprise but if you wanted to surprise me, I guess you're successful."

That response had you replying a chuckle, and a gesture of extending your arm to him, offering an item in a giftbox.

He looked at you in question at first. When he saw the cue in your facial expression, Kaeya dropped his attention from the item and began unboxing it.

It was a small piece of blue ribbon that he could use to tie his blue-coloured hair, a perfect match. It did look girly, admittedly, but it was something you saw that Kaeya really treasured for at that same spot where he received the gift was also where he used it.

"Thank you," he said, a smile on his lips, geniune and honest.

It might have been the second fun and happiness he had in his entire life.